SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6311

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Education, February 6, 2004

Title: An act relating to educational service district employment contracts.

Brief Description: Concerning educational service district employment contracts.

Sponsors: Senators Doumit, Carlson, McAuliffe and Rasmussen.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Education: 2/6/04 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report: Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Johnson, Chair; Carlson, McAuliffe, Pflug, Rasmussen and Schmidt.

Staff: Susan Mielke (786-7422)

Background: Generally, under current law school district officers are prohibited from benefitting from contracts entered into by their office. However, the law provides for some limited exceptions, including employment contracts to employ the spouse of an officer in the school district. These exceptions permit the spouse to be employed as a certificated or classified employee in the school district with some additional limitations.

Second class school districts are required to adopt a policy governing such employment contracts; however, there is no such requirement for first class school districts.

Summary of Bill: An exception is provided to the prohibition on a school district officer to benefit from a contract entered into their office. The exception permits a spouse of a school district officer to be employed by an educational service district.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: There is no direct conflict of interest when the spouse of a school district superintendent works for an Educational Service District (ESD). The ESD is a completely separate entity and therefore it should not be a problem.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: PRO: Senator Mark Doumit, prime sponsor; Kim Patten, Ocean Beach School District; Dennis Mathews, ESD 112.